Hacker leaks 281 GB of data from Germany's far-right AfD party

What happened

The AfD confirmed that a hacker broke into its hosting provider, the company that stores its websites and email, in September. Some party mailboxes were copied. The hacker then published a large archive of the stolen data on a leak site called Hexane.cc. Instead of posting the emails directly, the site shows short summaries written by AI. Each summary is sorted into a topic, such as racism or antisemitism, and given a risk rating from Low to Critical.

Key numbers and facts

• 281 GB of stolen messages and files
• 421,179 internal party emails
• More than 100,000 files
• Newest message is dated 12 September 2026
• Offer of 100,000 Euros, made to the hacker, to take the leak site down (not verified)

Some context

A hosting provider is a company that runs computers and services for other businesses. If one of these providers is attacked, every customer using it can be affected. The AfD says most of the copied mailboxes had not been used for years. Party sources also said the leaked emails looked real, but the AI summaries had several mistakes. Reports say the hacker may have entered through a website that was not updated with security fixes, but this has not been independently checked.

Why it matters

This leak shows how a forgotten website or an old email account can lead to a big privacy problem. Stolen emails can hold private details about many people, and that can be misused. AI summaries can also be wrong, so they should not be trusted without checking. Experts also warn people not to download the torrent. Criminals have hidden malware in files about popular news topics, and handling stolen personal data can cause legal trouble.

What to watch

• Whether the AfD or German authorities confirm how the hacker got in
• Whether the AI summaries are shown to be wrong in specific cases
• Whether the leak site is taken down or the torrent spreads further
• Whether the person who offered 100,000 Euros is identified